Posted on 02/23/2011 6:41:32 PM PST by Eric Blair 2084
Sen. Joe Negron wants fat Floridians and smokers to get healthy or else.
Included in Negrons revamp of the state-federal Medicaid program which Negron will release tomorrow is a component aimed at what senators are calling personal responsibility.
Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who helped craft Negrons bill, said Medicaid patients have to take control of their health care just as he had to do when his doctor told him to lose weight.
Were saying that an individual whos been diagnosed as morbidly obese needs to be on a medically-directed program of weight loss to manage that health care problem that could turn into an increased taxpayer liability. The same thing with smokers, Gaetz said.
The bill would require smokers and alcoholics and drug addicts to get treatment, Gaetz said.
Negron said his bill would include incentives for Medicaid patients to lose weight, quit smoking and stop drinking but did not give details about what they would be.
If they dont get thinner and put down the smokes, Negron said their coverage could be cut off.
(Excerpt) Read more at postonpolitics.com ...
Why bother living?
You’re right. Smokers tried to warn people.
Some people are still naive enough to believe that billions of dollars were spent lobbying for smoking bans all for them because they don’t like the smell of smoke.
It’s a massive racket.
Shut up. Say something when you have something intelligent to add.
You are in the zone, keep going.
“over?! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”
“Germans?”
“Don’t stop him, he’s rolling!”
I think it’s time to cut some useless fat. Florida voters can start by eliminating the fat slobs in the State House along with all the pork they consume. Call it Liberal-suction and start with Sen. Negron.
Thanks for the ping!
Of course there should never be any Medicaid in the first place, and, as you said, there are always strings attached when one accepts government “help”.
Once Obamacare is established, they won’t just stop at fat folks and smokers. Since the #1 risk factor for most illnesses is aging, then the obvious thing to do is to deny care to anyone over 65, or maybe even 55.
As someone else suggested, favored groups (homosexuals, for example) will still be given care. Welcome to the brave new world where the old, the sick, the disabled, and the weak are sacrificed for the common good.
In the world of private employment, healthcare costs are a huge factor in hiring.
Did anyone really think that a 62 year old employee with 40 years of experience would be let go in favor of a 23 year old clueless kid because of ability?
Or that a child bearing age woman makes less than a guy?
Employers don’t want to pay for prostate cancer screenings or OB/GYN costs.
As always, the root of the problem is government. Various groups lobbied state legislators to insist that all kinds of tests, treatments, etc. be covered by every health insurance plan. So, even if you don’t want or need maternity care, chiropractic, psychological counseling, treatment for autism, etc., you still have to pay for it. We already have a form of socialized medicine because we all have to pay for whatever coveraget the state mandates.
If there were a truly free market in health insurance and health care, then costs would come down and quality and access would get better. The market has worked beautifully for those treatments that are not usually covered by insurance - plastic surgery and laser eye surgery. It would work for everything else, too.
How’s about alcohol test?
That seems perfectly reasonable. If they represent an unfairly increased risk, the pool of normal risk candidates can decide to exclude them from joining and then they won't pay in nor receive benefits...oh, wait...
You don't get to take everyone's money on the same footing then decide to start filtering them once you already have their money and it's time to pay OUT.
That's for sure; but, then, when half the population works to provide the income for the other half, at some point the income is insufficient to maintain the flow, and something has to give.
Either we have sufficient employment and income taxes to keep re-distributing the wealth, or we run out of money. I think as a "test", we should all stop earning income for about six months, and see how it works out on that entitlement thingy.....let's all go on welfare AT THE SAME TIME, and see how long that can last.
What you say would be true only if individuals had the option of opting out of the system entirely, including the payment of the portion of taxes that support the system. Since payment isn't conditioned on any of this stuff, nor can you choose to opt out COMPLETELY, neither can benefits be.
I meant Medicare. Until my tax dollars are not used for other citizen medicare
OK , fine ... you grab that socialist SOB and toss him in a room with me..AFTER 17 hours with no tobacco...
Hopefully He will Survive ...but. Not LIKELY!!
You ask me to be intelligent- then you say something idiotic. I must have hit a nerve talking about people dependng on the system while depleting it because of there unwillingnesss to be responsible
No one can opt out of the payment of taxes that support any of the government welfare programs - Medicaid, Medicare and Obamacare. Your view would not permit the government to establish rules for participation in any of those programs.
Correct, those are hosed as well. These are the kinds of conundrums that tell you the government is intruding where they have no business in the first place.
Liberals are right to say health care is broken, but what they [conveniently] omit to tell you is that THEY'RE the ones that broke it in the first place.
Seven decades of government interference with a system that originally worked, wasn't a drain on the taxpayer, and didn't end up with the government in possession of information about you or with a say in your lifestyle choices, and they claim the fix is MORE government!
To paraphrase The Won with regard to a situation where it actually applies "If you broke it, you don't get to participate in designing the fix!"
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